Indicating-plate



I `(No1/Lodel.) v W. A. CONNELLY.

INDIGATING PLATE.

PatentedJuly 14,1885l 7c Msmmf Lia ffi any@ A-Mmglmgmff-,q --y mmm wirf j? @MU maumn Off @www IA a Mmmm,

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f NrrnD STATES Artnr Brien.

INDICTlNc-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofV Letters Patent No. 322,259, dated July 14, 1885.

Application filed September 23, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. CONNELLY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Indicating-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improvedchangeable sign or indicatingplate, and is intended particularly for public mail-receiving boxes, toY give information as to the times when the-mail matter is to be taken from the boX.

The inver tion 'consists as a whoe in aplate having words or characters permanently applied to or formed on it to give a part of the desired information, and provided with grooves extending from the ends of the plate along its front face, movable plates or blocks having letters or figures adapted to be inserted in said grooves to complete the plate, and `a marginal frame formed to cover the edges of the plate and secure the same tothe letter-- box, the movable blocks being held in place in the grooves of the plate by said frame.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure I represents a front view of the plate with its movable blocks and inclosingframe. Fig.2 represents a front view of the plate alone,'the

blocks and frame being removed. Fig. 3 represents a section on line x Fig. I. Fig. 4 represents asection on line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a slide provided with movable lettered blocks and formed to enter one of the grooves in the plat-e. Fig. Gis a cross-section on line z z, Fig. 5.

The same letters of reference represent the saine parts in all the igures.

In the drawings, a represents a metallic plate having in its front surface a series of grooves, b b, which preferably have dovetail edges, said grooves extending inwardly from the ends of the plate. The surface `of the plate is provided withany suitable permanent arrangement ol' letters or characters,as shown in Fig. 2.

To accompany movable characters which may be inserted in the grooves I9 the permanent characters may be east on the plate or formed in separate pieces suitably secured to the plate, or they may be painted thereon.

c eA represent movable blocks formed to tit the sides of the grooves b, said blocks having letters, numerals, punctuation-marks, 85e.,

so that they can be set in the required order to complete the plate, the movable and permanent letters giving collectively the information for which the plate is intended. Longer strips or plates o may be employed to fill the portions of the grooves not occupied by the blocks, said lling-strips extending to the ends of the plate. If desired, the blocks c may be placed in recesses in slides d, as shown in Figs. V5 and 6, each slide being formed to ll an entire groove b, so that all the blocks c intended for one groove may be moved into and out of the groove by the slide d, which should have a notch, d', at its outer end to facilitate its removal.

e represents the inclosing-frame which is formed to cover the margin of the plate, and project slightly over the yfront thereof, as i shown, and is provided with perforated ears e eto receive attaching-screws, whereby theA frame is secured to the letter-box.

It will be seen that the frame covering the edges of the plate holds the movable blocks in place in the grooves.

The device thus constructed constitutes a extending entirely through it, and provided" with a series of movable blocks having iigures or numerals,has been before used onlet-` ter-boxes hence I do not claim, broadly, a

slotted plate with removable lettered or iigendwise of the latter from the edges of the.`

plate, and movable Adovetail lettered or figuredv blocks adapted to slide in said grooves, and held in place by the sides thereof.

2. The combination of the plate a., having dovetail grooves b` in its front surfaee,extend ing to the edges of the plate',y movable dovesubscribing Witnesses, thrs 18th day of September7 1884.

WILLIAM A. CONNELLY.

Vtness'es:

C. F. BROWN, H. BROWN. 

